Tag Archives: 2014 US Open betting

Gael Monfils was definitely pumped about his 2014 US Open quarterfinals matchup with Roger Federer. The Frenchman told reporters that he looked forward to one day being able to tell his kids that he played against the 17-time major champion. And Monfils nearly got the chance to tell his unborn children that he beat Federer.

The 20th seed won the first two sets against Federer, who carries the tournament’s second seed. However, the Swiss star showed plenty of poise in coming back to grab a 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 victory.

Monfils had won every set in the 2014 US Open leading up to the quarterfinals match. And this continued until his third set against Federer, with the latter winning this one and jumping out to an early lead in the fourth set. But Monfils made this a contest by winning a couple of games with plenty of hustle, athleticism and a 137-mph serve. The two played back and forth from here, with Federer finally prevailing. The fifth set was pretty anti-climatic as he easily won the tail-end of the match.

Federer will now face No. 14 Marin Cilic in the semifinals. Cilic upended No. 6 Tomas Berdych in a hard-fought victory that will see him in his first semfinal appearance since the 2010 Australian Open.

Djokovic beats Murray to make 8th Straight Semifinal

In a matchup of former US Open champions, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray put on a good show for the crowd. The two caught would-be winners, had prolonged volleys and made plenty of highlight-reel plays in their match. Ultimately, it was Djokovic prevailing in this one after winning 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4 to reach his 8th consecutive US Open semifinal.

This could be Djokovic’s toughest route to the semfinals in the last eight years, given that he and Murray played for 3 hours and 32 minutes. “I knew coming into tonight’s match that it’s going to be tough, that he’s going to go for his shots, and the more aggressive one would win it,” the No. 1 seed said. “I’m glad I managed to stay fit in the end and pull it through.”

Djokovic will now move on to face No. 10 Kei Nishikori. The Japanese player beat third-seeded Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-4. Nishikori becomes the first player from Japan to reach the US Open semifinals since 1918.

If you’re looking for a female favorite as 2014 US Open betting approaches, you might want to consider Serena Williams. The 32-year-old won her first title at the Cincinnati Open in six tries by defeating Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1. “I just love this moment,” she said afterward. “I just love holding up the trophy.”

With her latest tournament victory, Williams is already looking ahead to the US Open. “This is definitely a level that can take me to the (U.S. Open) title.” She added, “I still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely a better level than I’ve played all year, to be honest.”

Besides Williams playing her strongest of the summer, other circumstances certainly fell in her favor as well. Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka had to withdraw from the Cincinnati event due to injury. And Ivanovic needed to be treated for a stomach ailment during her three-hour victory over Maria Sharapova. After this grueling semifinals match, Ivanovic didn’t seem to have much left in the tank when she faced Williams.

The latter took full advantage of the situation after pounding out excellent serves on her way to 12 aces. Ivanovic was surprised that this number wasn’t higher as she said, “Only? It felt like way more. I felt like she was dominating” If Ivanovic feels this way, it’s because Williams has definitely been dominating against her. Serena boasts a 7-1 career record against the Serbian.

However, Williams’ path towards the Cincinnati victory wasn’t a cakewalk. She suffered from a stiff back during her semifinal win and was sore to start the finals match as well. Williams was behind early, but evened up the match at 3-3. When Ivanovic double-faulted twice in a row, Williams took control of the match and never looked back.

But will her back pain persist in the 2014 US Open? Williams noticeably winced on a couple of serves and had to stretch her back in between sets a lot. However, the thrill of being in the final took her mind off the pain. ”I felt it a little bit in the second, but I just was so excited for this final and to be in the final,” she said. ”I just really felt like I had nothing to lose. So I was able to relax.”

Williams now figures to jump back into the top 10 of the WTA rankings, while Ivanovic is almost assured of staying in the top 10 after a runner-up finish.

Federer wins Cincinnati again

When the Cincinnati Open rolls around next year, you might want to go all in on Roger Federer. He improved his record in the Cincinnati Open finals to 6-0 after prevailing over David Ferrer 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. Interestingly enough, Federer also improved his perfect career mark against Ferrer to 16-0.

When asked about the secret behind his domination in the Queen City, Federer simply offered, “I don’t know – I just really enjoy myself here.”

Like Williams on the women’s side, Federer benefited from the defending champ Rafael Nadal pulling out with an injury. Also, top-seeded Novak Djokovic bit the dust early after losing his second match of the tourney.

Of course, this isn’t to take anything away from Federer, who played excellent throughout the event. His finals opponent admitted as much. ”The third set, he served unbelievable,” Ferrer said. “He played really good and I was a little bit tired. But anyway, with Roger it’s difficult, no?”

This victory was extra sweet for the Swiss star because he’d previously lost his last four Masters final matches. In fact, he took second to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last week in Toronto. Now, with a sixth Cincinnati Open victory, Federer is heading into the 2014 US Open with some steam. ”I’m really pleased with the week,” Federer said. “Overall, it went from good to great. ‘My game’s exactly where I want it to be.”

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal recently withdrew from tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto because of a right wrist injury. This is big news for anybody who’s eyeing 2014 US Open betting because Nadal would likely be a favorite, given that he’ll be defending his title. The US Open begins on August 25th, so the 28-year-old still has three weeks to get back to full strength.

The right wrist injury doesn’t affect Nadal’s entire game because he plays left-handed. However, he also uses a two-handed backhand and isn’t himself right now. “Unfortunately I injured myself yesterday during practice and after checking with my doctors I will have to stay out of competition for at least two to three weeks,” Nadal said after pulling out of the Cincinnati and Toronto events. There is some optimism, though, because he posted on Facebook that he expects to “be well for the US Open.”

Nadal’s manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, shed some more light on the matter by writing that Rafa was hurt during a practice session on his home island of Mallorca (Spain). Perez-Barbadillo added that doctors want Nadal to wear a cast on his wrist for the next 2-3 weeks while it heals. Along the way, doctors will be monitoring the right wrist, including an MRI, to determine when he can play again.

The Toronto tournament starts tomorrow and the Cincinnati event begins on Aug. 11th. Nadal won both of these events in 2013 (the Canadian tourney was held in Montreal last year) during his US Open hard-court preparation. Rafa would go on to win the 2013 US Open as well, which is part of his 14 Grand Slam titles. This is tied with Pete Sampras for second in men’s tennis history, and just three off of Roger Federer’s all-time record of 17 Grand Slam victories.

Unfortunately, even if he’s ready by the 2014 US Open, Nadal will be a little rusty due to inactivity. On the other hand, he has been his usual dominant self this year, recording a 44-8 record and winning four titles, including his record ninth French Open win. The wrist injury has kept him from having an even better year because he hasn’t played since losing to 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios on July 1st at Wimbledon. At this time, Nadal is ranked second in the ATP Men’s rankings with 12,670 points. This puts him just behind Novak Djokovic (13,130 points) for the number one ranking.